Wheeled towing device



Oct. 19, 1954 w Lcox WHEELED TOWING DEVICE- 2 SheeEs-Sheet l FiljedMarch 10, 1954 FIG FIG.2

INVENTOR ROBERT L. WILCOX FIG. 3

ATTORNEY Oct. 19, 1954 v R. L. WILCOX 2,692,149

WHEELED TOWING DEVICE Filed March 10, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l0 29 s v 2526 27 FIG 6 fil'fl il INVENTOR ROBERT L. WILCOX ATTORNEY Patented Oct.19, 1954 UNITED STATS v f-T1311!T OFFICE 8 Claims.

(Granted under Title S. Code (1952'),

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or forthe Government of the United States of America for governmental purposeswithout the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

The present invention relates to a towing device vand'more particularlyto a towing device having a novel locking arrangement wherein the deviceis positively locked in position during operation.

The invention device may be used for towing any type :of vehicle orsimilar means, but is particularly adapted for use in towing aircraft.The device is of the scissors type, and similar devices of thistypearewellknown in the art. Such devices generally employ :pin or cupmeans at one end thereof adapted to engage a complementary fittingformed on the hub of one of the wheels of an aircraft. The opposite endsof such towing devices are generally connected to a small tractor ortug, and when one'of these devices is in engaged position with anaircraft wheel and locked in position, the aircraft may be towed to .adesired position whereupon the towing device is unlocked anddisconnected from the aircraft wheel.

Prior art devices utilize pin connections and the like to lock them inoperative position, but these arrangements have proven unsatisfactoryinoperation since they occasionally become accidentally unlocked whilean aircraft .is being towed. Accidental unlock-ing of the towing deviceduring operation endangers personnel working therewith .and may alsocause the aircraft to be damaged. Aircraft havealso been accidentallyreleased from known towing devices because of excessive Wear of theconnections which engage the aircraft wheel and because of failure ofthe pivotal connection between the two main elongated members :of thedevices. Such excessive wear and failure are caused by undesired turningof the main members of the devices which occurs due to the fact that themain members of the devices are not adequately crossbraced.

The present invention prevents accidental unlocking of the towing deviceby providing .a positive locking connection between a lock bar and alatch member. present invention is slidably positioned withinlongitudinal slots formed in the two main elongated members thereof,thereby preventing these members from undesired turnin movement.

An object of the present invention is the provision of anew and'noveltowing device employing an arrangement which prevents accidentalunlocking thereof.

towing device which is so constructed and ar- Furthermore, the lock barof the ranged .as to prevent undesired turning movemen of the two :mainelongated members thereof.

A "further object of the invention is the provision of a new .and noveltowing device which simple and inexpensive in construction, yet sturdyand reliable in operation.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this inventionwill be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood byreference to the following detailed description when considered .inconnection with the accompanying drawings wherein Fig. 1 shows a planview of the invention;

Fig. 2 illustrates :a side elevation of the device shown in Fig. 1

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of the device shown in Fig.2.;

'4 is an enlarged view of a portion of the deviceshown in Fig.1;

Fig. '5 is :a sectional view taken on the line 5--5 of Fig. 3 looking inthe direction of the :arrows, and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 15-43 of Fig. 1looking in the direction or the arrows.

Referring now :to the drawings wherein like referenee charactersdesignate likeor corresponding parts throughout the several views, thereis shown n Figs. 1 and 2 two similar elongated tubular members in and 11| each .of which has a ring member 12 suitably connected to one endthereof, the ring members 4 2 of each tube having cooperating flangesformed thereon so 'as to permit rotational movement relative to oneanother while maintaining them in juxtaposition in a well-known manner.Identical hub members 13 are suitably connected to the opposite ends 10ftubular members Hi and H, each .hub member having small wheel it fixedto a shaft 15 which is rotatably journaled in each of .the hub members.Tow fittings l6 are suitably secured as by welding or the like to theinner surface .l?! f the hub members, the tow fittings being adapted toengage complementary fittings formed on the hub of an aircraft wheel.

.As most clearly seen in 1, oppositely facing fittings 16 in the form ofpins are shown .as'being in engagement with complementary openingsformed in the hub of an aircraft wheel l'8 which in this case is thenose wheel of a tricycle landing gear. It is apparent that when membersI6 .are thusly locked in position relative to an aircraft wheel, theaircraft may be towed by connecting ring members I12 130 a suitable"fitting formed on a small tractor or tug.

As most clearly seen in Fig. '6, a longitudinal slot 26 is formed indiametrically opposite portions of tube 53, and a bracket indicatedgenerally by reference numeral 2| is formed of two plates 22 and 23which are welded to the outer periphery of tube I ii. A lock bar 2'5 isslidably positioned within slot 29 and an end portion thereof isdisposed between plates 22 and 23. Aligned openings 26, 21 and 28 areformed in members 22, and 23 respectively, and a bolt 29 passestherethrough, a nut 33 being provided for maintaining bolt 29 inposition. In this manner, lock bar 25 is pivotally supported by bracket2! which is welded to tube l3.

Lock bar 25 is also slidably disposed within a slot 33 formed indiametrically opposite portions of tube H, the locking bar having aplurality of slots 34 formed in the edge 35 thereof. As most clearlyseen in Fig. 5, a bracket 33 of substantially U-shaped cross-sectionalconfiguration is welded to the outer periphery of tube I l and hasopenings 3! and 3-8 formed in the opposite leg portions 39 and 4%}respectively. A bolt 4| passes through openings 3? and 38, and nuts 42and 43 are threaded on one end thereof for maintaining the bolt in fixedrelation to the bracket.

A flat latch member is pivotally mounted on the opposite end of bolt 4!and has an intermediate portion 36 thereof guided and limited in itspivotal movement by a guide member 44 which is welded at one end thereofto the top of bracket 36 and at the opposite end thereof to the outerperiphery of tube H. A locking portion 43 of member 45 is adapted to fitwithin one of the slots 34, and a downwardly extending flange 48 formedintegral with member 65 provides additional weight which tends to pivotthe latch member in a downward direction as seen in Fig. 3.

A plate '58 is welded at right angles to latch member 45 and serves thedual function of limiting downward movement of the latch member when inengagement with the upper surface of the locking bar and providing aconvenient handle which may be manually grasped when it is desired tolift the latch member so as to disengage latching portion 41 from one ofslots 34. Guide member 44 allows sufiicient upward movement of the latchmember such that locking portion 41 is clear of slots 36 and bar 25 mayslide laterally within slot 33.

It is apparent that when pins l6 are in operative engagement withsuitable fittings on an aircraft wheel the towing device may bepositively locked by lowering latch member 45 until locking portion llthereof is positioned within one of slots 34 and plate 58 engages theupper surface of the lock bar. The device is then securely andpositively locked in position and cannot release until the latch memberis lifted to disengage portion 31 from the slots in the lock bar.

Although the weight provided by flange 48 is considered sufficient toprevent the latch memher from accidentally bouncing out of engagementwith the lock bar during towing, an additional safety feature may beincorporated in the device by providing a leaf spring which is indicatedby phantom line in Fig. 3 such that one end of the spring is secured tobracket 44 and the opposite end of the spring is in engagement with theupper lateral surface of member 45 whereby the latch member iscontinuously urged in a downward direction. It is evident that anynumber of slots 33 may be provided in bar 25 and that the spacing of theslots is dependent upon the width of the hub of the aircraft wheel towhich the device is to be attached.

A pin 56 is fixed to the outer end of bar 25 and prevents excessrotation of tubes ID and II away from one another when latch member 4-5is in unlocked position. This permits the device to be backed intoposition without excessively spreading tubes l0 and I! apart, and alsoprevents excessive spreading of the tubes when making turns with the towdevice in unlocked position as may be the case when no aircraft is beingtowed.

Excessive wear of tow connections 16 and failure of the connectionbetween rings i2 has occurred in prior art devices due to turning ofmembers If! and H about their longitudinal axes, such turning beingcaused by the loading applied thereon. It should be noted that fiat bar25 passing through longitudinal slots 20 and 33 in tubes [0 and llrespectively prevents such turning of the tubes, thereby greatlyreducing the wear on the tow fittings and the possibility of failure ofthe connection between rings 52.

It is evident that other types of tow fittings may be employed in placeof fittings 16 in accordance with the type of fitting on the wheel ofthe aircraft to be towed. Additional tow fittings of various otherconfigurations may be suitably secured to hubs 13 as by welding orbolting if desired.

It is apparent from the foregoing that there is provided a new and noveltowing device employing an arrangement which prevents accidentalunlocking thereof, and which is so constructed and arranged as toprevent undesired turning movement of the two main elongated membersthereof. The device is simple and inexpensive in construction yet sturdyand reliable in operation.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention arepossible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to beunderstood that within the scope of the appended claims the inventionmay be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

I claim:

1. A towing device which comprises a plurality of elongated memberspivotally connected to one another at one end thereof, means supportedby the opposite ends of said elongated members for engaging a device tobe towed, lock bar means pivotally supported by one of said elongatedmembers, a longitudinal slot formed in each of said elongated members,said bar means passing through said slots, latch means pivotallysupported by the other of said elongated members, said bar means andsaid latch means having cooperating locking portions for locking saidelongated members in position relative to one another.

2. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein said bar means is slidablymounted in said slots and is adapted to move relative thereto.

3. A device as defined in claim 2 including means supported by said barmeans for preventing excess pivotal movement of said elongated membersaway from one another.

4. A towing device which comprises two elongated members pivotallyconnected to one another at one end thereof, means supported by theopposite ends of said elongated members for engaging a device to betowed, a lock bar pivotally supported by one of said elongated members,said bar having a slot formed in one edge thereof, a longitudinal slotformed in each of said elongated members, said bar being slidablydisposed within each of said last mentioned slots, latch means pivotallysupported by the other of said elongated members and having a lockingportion adapted to be positioned within said slot in said tow barwhereby said elongated members are locked in position relative to oneanother.

5. A towing device which comprises two elongated tubular memberspivotally connected to one another at one end thereof, means supportedby the opposite ends of said tubular members for engaging a device to betowed, first bracket means connected to one of said tubular members, alock bar pivotally supported by said first bracket means, a longitudinalslot formed in each of said tubular members, said bar being slidablydisposed within each of said slots, second bracket means connected tothe other of said tubular members, latch means pivotally supported bysaid second bracket means, said bar and said latch means havingcooperating locking portions for locking said tubular members inposition relative to one another, and means for guiding and by theopposite ends of said tubular members for engaging a device to be towed,a plurality of wheels rotatably supported adjacent said opposite ends,first bracket means connected to one of said tubular members, a lock barpivotally supported by said first bracket means, a longitudinal slotformed in each of said tubular members, said bar being slidably disposedwithin each of said slots, means supported by said bar for pre-- ventingexcess pivotal movement of said tubular members away from one another,second bracket means connected to the other of said tubular members,latch means pivotally supported by said second bracket and having ahandle portion connected thereto, said bar and said latch means havingcooperating, locking portions for locking said tubular members inposition relative to one another, means for guiding and limiting thepivotal movement of said latch means, and resilient means urging saidlatch means in one pivotal direction.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 1,450,759 Snyder Apr. 3, 1923 2,287,955 Zunino June 30, 19422,340,273 Phillips Jan. 25, 1944 2,391,608 Wood Dec. 25, 1945. 2,449,680Wak et a1. Sept. 21, 1948

